Reaching Your Career Goals Through Travel Nursing
By Melissa Wirkus, contributor
Whether it is to gain new clinical skills, make more money or see the country, the reasons why a nurse chooses to travel are unique to every individual. Those who want to advance their careers or meet specific professional goals find that travel nursing offers a variety of ways to help them do that.
In fact, embarking on a career as a travel nurse could be just the boost your nursing career needs.
Learning new skills and techniques
A typical travel nursing assignment lasts approximately 13 weeks, and offers nurses the opportunity to become fully immersed in the hospital or medical center's nursing staff and unit routine. Depending on the unit and specialty, travel nurses may also get the opportunity to work in another related specialty while on the job; they also can be exposed to new technologies, skills or learn more efficient ways of completing universal tasks.
The possibilities for expanding your knowledge base and skills set are practically limitless.
"Traveling is a great way to learn new skills," explained Jennifer Raczka, recruitment manager at American Mobile Healthcare, an AMN Healthcare company. "Facilities are always looking for the best and new technologies out there, so, while traveling to these facilities, you get to learn them."
American Mobile uses a skills checklist to determine a nurse's skill level and knowledge to help establish which assignments will be a good fit for each nurse. By completing a variety of assignments, nurses can add to their existing skills set or maybe even branch out into a new specialty.
Working at top hospitals
Many travel nurses are initially attracted to life on the road because of the many opportunities it provides--especially when it comes to working for some of the most prestigious hospitals in the nation.
If working for world-renowned teaching hospitals, children's centers or other noteworthy medical centers is one of your career goals, travel nursing can help you do that.
"Travel nursing will help a nurse advance in their career by building their résumé with top facilities on it," Raczka said.
For example Yale, Stanford, Johns Hopkins and UC San Francisco are all top facilities that partner with American Mobile to fill their nurse staffing needs, she explained.
By taking assignments at a variety of different facilities, nurses are able to build their résumé and gain the valuable experience needed to take their nursing career to the next level.
Expanding your career options
In addition to learning new technical skills, expanding your specialty or working for a leading hospital or medical center, travel nursing offers many ways to expand and build upon an RN résumé that can help you get hired in the future.
"Traveling nursing will help build nurses' résumés a few different ways," Raczka said. "By showing you are flexible and able to adapt to new surroundings, by working at top facilities in the U.S., and by learning the latest technologies."
Raczka also explained how travel nursing allows nurses to try out a new hospital or city before making a permanent move or change.
"Travel nursing can also help nurses if they are looking to relocate and try out a new location without signing on permanent at a facility. It gives the nurse the option to try out the facilities or even new living arrangements before making anything permanent."
Regardless of your career goals, travel nursing can help you meet them, all while having the adventure of a lifetime and earning great pay.
"If a nurse is looking for top pay, then travel nursing is the way to go," Razcka concluded. "Some facilities offer completion bonuses and some offer higher pay rates for quick starts. Also, while traveling, your housing is paid for so you are able to pay off bills or build a savings with money that would normally be spent on rent."
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